Clutch



Nov. 15, 1938.

E. B. CARSON CLUTCH Filed July 6, 193a 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 15; 1938.-v E. B. CARSQN 2,136,541

7 CLUTCH Filed July 6, 195 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Dave/Linna Edward 25. CarsonMMwl/m rfimu CARSON CLUTCH 7 Filed July 6, 1956 Patented Nov. 15, 1938UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLUTCH Edward B. Carson, Fort Myers, Fla.

Application July 6, 1936, Serial No. 89,139

5 Claims.

This invention relates to ironing machines, and has to do with a clutchand associated parts for controlling operation of the machine.

The clutch and associated parts of my invention are particularlysuitable for use in an ironing machine comprising a rotating roll and acooperating shoe movable to and from the roll and held in contacttherewith under spring pressure. A machine of this general type isdisclosed in the patent to Rudolph W. Janda, for Ironing Machine, No.2,026,345, issued December 31, 1935. While the clutch and associatedparts of my invention are particularly suitable for use in an ironingmachine of this general type, the machine to which my invention is shownas applied, by way of example, differs in certain respects from themachine of said patent, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Among the objects of my invention are the provision of a clutch andassociated parts of comparatively simple and improved construction andoperation, which assures accuracy in operation of the machine andeffectively eliminates objectionable noises due to clicking orchattering of the clutch parts. provide a clutch assembly and associatedparts so related that the assembly may be removed and replaced as aunit, with expedition and facility. Further objects and advantages willappear from the detail description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view, partly broken away and in section, of the gearhousing and adjacent portions of an ironing. machine, with the coverplate of the housing removed, showing a clutch assembly and associatedparts embodying my invention as applied;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substan- Figure 7 is a fragmentarysectional view, on.

A further object is to provided by spring 26.

an enlarged scale, taken substantially on line 1| of Figure 4; and

Figure 8 is a detail side view of the shoe clutch trip finger and theassociated trip rod, the latter being broken away.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to an ironing machinecomprising a gear housing 10 of suitable shape mounted upon bed plate Hof the ironing machine and extending downward through the bed plate. Asupplemental housing I2 is suitably mounted beneath housing l andencloses a worm wheel I 3 in mesh with a worm l4 secured upon a shaft l5driven in a suitable manner, conveniently by an electric motor. Worm"wheel I3 is keyed upon a drive shaft I6 which has suitable bearing, atits lower end, in a boss I! projecting downward from the bottom wall ofsupplemental casing l2..

Shaft l6 extends upward through a bushing l8 which fits through a collarl9 integral with and projecting upward from bottom wall 20 of gearhousing In. Bushing I8 is provided, at itslower end, with an outwardlyprojecting flange 2| confined between bottom wall 20 of easing l0 and inits upper face, with a concentric groove 23a which receives a tensioncoil spring 26. This :spring is anchored at one end to member 22,

by means of a pin 21, and the other end of spring 26 engages over atongue 28 struck downward from a yoke member 29 in the form of a metalplate or stamping. Member 29 seats upon the upper face of disc 23, abouta collar 30 protially on line 2-2 of Figure 1 through the gear housing,the clutch assembly and associated parts jecting upward from member 22,for turning movement about the axis ofshaft 16, and is free from member22 except for the connection This provides means whereby the yoke member29 is turned -in one direction a predetermined distance relative to,member 22, by the tension of spring 23, and is thereafter rotated afurther predetermined distance in the same direction with member 22, aswill be more fully explained hereinafter.

Yoke member 29 is provided with two oppo- 'sitely related and upwardlyprojecting tabs 30,

30, spaced apart and aligned diametrically of disc 23. Member 29 isfurther provided with two upwardly projectingtabs 3| and 32 aligned on achord of disc 23. A clutch pawl 33 is pivot- .edon a stud 34; which issuitably secured in member 22 (Figure 7) and is provided with a flange35 seating against the upper face of disc 28 and of slightly greaterthickness than yoke member 29. A split locking ring 35, of known type,engages into a circumferential groove 31 in stud 34, immediately abovepawl 33 and cooperates with flange 35 to confine the pawl againstmovement axially of the stud, in a known manner.

Pawl 38 comprises a hook element 38 and a tail element 38, and isdisposed between tabs 3| and 32 of yoke member 29 so that hook element88 will be contacted by tab 3| upon turning of yoke member 29 by spring26 and relative to member 22, and tail 39 will contact tab 32 uponrotation of member 22 relative to yoke member 28.

An inner clutch member in the form of a ratchet wheel 48, provided witha squared central opening, is mounted upon squared upper portion |6a ofdrive shaft l6 for rotation therewith. Hook 38 of pawl 33 engages withthe ratchet wheel 48, when the pawl is moved from the disengagedposition shown in Figure 6 into the engaged position shown in Figure 4,thus clutching member 22 to the ratchet wheel 48 for rotation therewith.

A trip finger 4| is pivoted upon a screw stud 42 secured in the frontwall of housing l8. A trip rod 43 is connected, at its lower end, to theinner end of finger 4| and extends upward therefrom through a recessedboss 44 adjacent the top of housing I 8. A button 45 is secured upon theupper end of rod 43, and the latter is normally held raised by acompression coil spring 46 disposed within boss 44 and confined betweenthe bottom wall thereof and button 45. The outer end of finger 4| isthus normally held depressed and rests upon the upper face of disc 23 inthe path of travel of tabs 38 of yoke member 29, when the latter isrotated with member 22. This will be clear from Figures 1, 4 and 6. Stud42 also provides, in conjunction with boss 41, into which this studscrews, means for adjustably supporting a holding and brake member 48.Member 48 comprises a central shank 49 which extends upward from themid-portion of an approximately U-shaped element comprising two inwardlydiverging resilient arms 58, each formed, at its free end, to provide arounded holding element 5|. Shank 49 is provided with a lengthwise slot52 which receives the threaded shank of stud 42, the latter beingprovided with an enlarged hexagonal nut element 53 between which andboss 41 shank 49 is clamped. Member 48 is so adjusted that arms 58thereof are in the plane of disc 23, with elements 5| contacting theperiphery ofthe disc and serving to prevent rotation thereof by inertia.Disc 23 is provided with two notches 55 shaped conformably to elements5| of the arms 58. Notches 55 are so disposed that element 5| of one ofthe arms 58 engages into a notch 55, after the member 22 has been turnedthrough an arc of 180, for holding this member in position, as shown inFigure 4.

An eccentric strap 6 fits about eccentric element 25 of member 22. Thisstrap is formed integrally with an arm 55 at one end thereof, this armbeing provided at its other end with a fork 58 in which is pivoted ablock 59, by means of a pin 68. Block 59 is also pivoted, by a pin 6|,to the lower end of an arm 62 which is suitably secured, as by a pin 63,to a shaft 64 rockably ing a. universal connection between arms 51 and62. Shaft 64 is the shoe operating shaft and is intended to haveassociated therewith an ironing shoe and supporting means thereforeffective to hold the shoe against the roll of the ironing machine, whenarm 51 is moved toward the right as viewed in Figure 1, with theeccentric element 25 turned through 180 from its position shown inFigures 4 and 5. When the eccentric element 25 is in the position shownin Figures 1, 4 and 5, arm 51 has been moved toward the left and shaft54 has been turned clockwise, as viewed in Figure 1, moving the shoeaway from the roll. This operation is explained more fully in the aboveidentified patent to Rudolph W. Janda, and need not be here illustratednor described in greater detail.

When eccentric element 25 of member 22 approaches the limit of itsmovement through 180 from one operative 'position to the other, one ofthe tabs 38 contacts the trip finger 4| and the yoke member 29 is heldagainst turning movement. In the continued rotation of member 22 withthe ratchet wheel 48, tall 39 of pawl 33 is brought into contact withtab 32, thus turning the pawl in clockwise direction, as viewed inFigure 6, and disengaging it from ratchet wheel 48, effecting thedeclutching operation. Turning of member 22 relative to yoke 29 alsoserves to place the spring 26 under tension, it being noted that member22 turns clockwise with ratchet wheel 48, as viewed in Figures 4 and 6,and as indicated by the arrows in these figures. In Figure 4 it isassumed that arm 51 has been moved to the left and shaft 64 has beenturned clockwise, moving the shoe away from the roll, and that tripfinger 4| has been raised out of engagement with the adjacent tab 38.This releases the yoke member 29, which is immediately turned in aclockwise direction, by the spring 26, bringing tab 3| into contact withhook element 38 of pawl 33, thus turning the pawl in a counterclockwisedirection into engagement with ratchet wheel 40. This effects theclutching operation and member 22 now rotates with drive shaft l6 andratchet wheel 48 so as to move arm 51 toward the right and rock shaft 64in counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 1, moving the shoe tothe roll. In order to effect release of yoke member 29 rod 43 is butmomentarily depressed and is then released, returning the outer end offinger 4| to its normal lowered position. As arm 51 reaches the limit ofits movement toward the right, the outer tab 38 of yoke 49 contacts tripfinger 4|, holding the yoke against rotation with member 22, and in thecontinued rotation of the latter member tail 39 of pawl 33 contacts tab32 and the pawl is turned clockwise into the position shown in Figure 6,thus effecting the declutching operation. In this position of the pawlthe hook 38 thereof is disposed to clear the teeth of ratchet wheel 48,as is tail 39 of the pawl, thus eliminating pos-- sibility of chatteringor clicking due to contact of these parts. In the event tail 39 shouldmove into the path of the teeth of ratchet wheel 48, in the declutchingoperation, it will be moved outward by contact of the teeth withoutobjectionable noise, since this tail is curved at its inner side onsubstantially the same radius as the teeth of the ratchet wheel, andwill remain in its outer position so long as the parts are declutchedone from the other. As the declutching operation is completed, element5| of one of the arms 58 engages into the adjacent notch 55 of disc 23,thus holding member 22 against further rotation. Ec-

centric element 26 is thus held in dead center position relative to arm62 and shaft 69, in both of its operative positions, and is thuseffectively maintained against turning under the influence of thepressure exerted either by the weight of the shoe or by the springassociated with the shoe for applying the latter to the roll underspring pressure. This is advantageous, particularly if there is anyinaccuracy or looseness of fit between the eccentric element 25 and theeccentric strap 56, due to wear or other causes, which looseness orinaccuracy might have a tendency to cause turning of member 22 beyondits proper position.

The cam element 24 of member 22 actuates a release lever 65 for startingand stopping the roll drive in accordance with movement of the shoe toand from the roll. The lower end of lever 65 is maintained in contactwith cam element 24, as shown. Lever 65 is pivoted, adjacent its upperend, by means of a pin 66, on a bracket 61 removably secured to athickened web element 68 of housing In. An operating lever 69 is alsopivoted on bracket 61, by means of pin 66, and bears, adjacent its upperend, against the outer end of a spring pressed plunger 10 slidable' in asleeve 10a keyed to the outer end of roll shaft 1|, which shaft extendsthrough a boss 12-1211 projecting from the inner face of inner wall 13of housing In. The inner portion of sleeve 16a. extends, into boss12--12a. Shaft 1| extends through a supporting sleeve 14 secured in aboss 15 projecting from the V outer face of wall 13 and aligned withboss 12-1211. An ironing roll (not shown) is mounted upon boss 15 andshaft 1| for rotation with the latter, upon which it is removablysecured, conveniently in the same manner as disclosed in the aboveidentified patent to Rudolph W. J anda. By detaching the roll from shaft1|, the latter may be slid lengthwise through boss 12 toward the outerside of housing Ill.

A bevel gear 16 is loosely mounted upon sleeve 10a at the outer end ofboss 12. This gear is provided with a hub 11 the outer portion of whichis formed to provide aspur pinion 18 projecting outward from the hub. Aring member 19 is mounted for relative turning movement on hub 11 and isprovided with a plurality of teeth defining an internal gear 80. Member19 is further provided, beyond internal gear 86, with a plurality ofteeth providing an internal clutch element 8| and, adjacent its innerend, with a plurality of teeth providing an external ratchet element 82.A disc 83 is secured upon the squared outer end portion of sleeve 10a ina suitable manner, as by means of a set screw 84 which screws throughhub 85 of the disc and engages into corresponding recess in the sleeve.

Plunger 19 is urged outward by a coil compression spring 85 confinedbetween the plunger and the outer end of shaft 1|. The plunger isprovided with an outwardly tapering frusto-conical element 86 and areduced tip element with which the lever 69 contacts. The body portionof plunger 10 is cylindrical and, in the outer position of the plunger,contacts the inner ends of two clutch dogs 81 slidably mounted in bossesand 89 formed integrally with hub 83a of disc 83and with disc 83,respectively, these bosses and the dogs being aligned diametrically ofthe disc. Hub 83a and sleeve 10a are provided with aligned bores whichslidably receive the inner end portions of the dogs. When the dogs areprojected, the outer endsthereof, which are tapered cor-- respondinglyto the teeth of clutch element 8|,

engage between the teeth of this clutch element and clutch disc 83 andring member 19 together for rotation as a unit. An arcuate wire spring90 passes loosely through bores through the dogs 81 and yieldingly urgesthese dogs toward each other while also holding them against turningmovement. When the plunger 19 is moved inward into its inoperativeposition shown in Figure 2, spring 96 acts to retract the dogs and movethem into inoperative position, shown in Figure 1, at which time thedisc 83 and the ring member 19 are free for relative turning movement.Under such conditions the roll shaft 1| will not be rotated, even thoughthe bevel gear 16 is driven.

By moving the upper end of the control or operating lever 69 outward,permitting corresponding outward movement of plunger 16, dogs-81 areprojected, clutching disc 83 and ring member 19 together for rotation asa unit. Under such conditions, relative rotation between the disc 83 andthe ring member 19 is prevented so that the disc is locked to pinion 18for rotation therewith, through pinions 9| mounted for rotation on studs92 suitably secured in disc 83, pinions 9| meshing with pinion 18 andinternal gear 80 f the ring structure 19. This provides a direct drivebetween bevel gear 16 and roll shaft 1| for driving the latter at highspeed.

When disc 83 is declutched from ring member 19 and the latter is free torotate, ring member 19 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, asviewed in Figure 1, through pinions 18 and 9|, it

being understood that bevel gear 16is driven in a clockwise direction,and roll shaft 1| is not driven. If now ring member 19 be held againstrotation counterclockwise, disc 83 will be driven clockwise at lowspeed, through pinions 18 and 9| and the internal gear 80, thus-drivingthe roll shaft 1| at low speed. For this purpose a pawl 93 is pivoted onbracket 61 and is urged, by a wire spring 94. toward the ring member 19.When roll shaft 1| is driven at high speed, or is not driven, pawl 93 isheld in the inoperative position shown in Figure 1. In order to drivethe roll shaft II at low speed, pawl 93 is released and engages a toothof the external ratchet element 82 of ring member 19, holding the latteragainst rotation counterclockwise and producing low speed drive of theroll shaft, as above explained.

The position of the operating lever 69 and the pawl 93 may be manuallyadjusted by means of a cam member 95 mounted upon the flat inner endportion 96a of a control rod 91 rockably mounted through the front wallof housing H] and through a suitable tab of bracket 61. A suitable lever98 is secured upon the outer end of rod 91 and is movable in front of anindex on the housing wall bearing the notation Fast, Stop and Slow. Inthe fast position of lever 98 the lower end of the operating lever 69 ispermitted to move inward, with corresponding outward movement of theupper end thereof and of plunger 10,

which results in clutching disc 83 and ring member 19 togetherfor highspeed drive in the manner previously described. In the stop position oflever 98, cam member 95 is so disposed that the lower end of operatinglever 69 is forced outward, thus forcing the plunger inward anddeclutching disc 83 from ring member 19, and pawl 93 is held out ofengagement with the external ratchet element 82 of ring member 19,permitting the latter to rotate counterclockwise so that rotation ofroll shaft 1| does not occur. When lever 98 is turned into slowposition, the lower end of operating lever 69 is maintained in its outerposition and the pawl 33 is released and is moved into operativeposition by spring 34 so as to hold ring member 13 against rotationcounterclockwise. thus driving the roll shaft II at low speed.

A set screw I00 is suitably secured through release lever 66, adjacentthe upper end thereof, in position to contact operating lever 63 abovepivot pin 66. This permits of manual operation of lever 69 independentlyof release lever 66 while assuring that the lower end of the latterlever is held in contact with cam element 24 of member 22 by thepressure exerted by spring 63, through plunger 10 and operating lever66. When the cam element 24 is in the position shown in Figures 4 and 5,the lower end of lever 66 is in contact with the high point of the dwellof cam element 24 and the upper end of operating lever 69 is forcedinward, declutching disc 63 from ring member I6 and stopping drive ofshaft II if the parts are set for high speed or fast drive of thisshaft, as above explained. Release lever 66 is further provided with atrip finger IOI disposed to contact shoulder I02 of pawl 63 so as tomove the latter into its inoperative position when the lower end oflever 65 is moved outward by cam element 24, if the parts are set forlow or slow" speed drive of shaft 'II. It will thus be seen that therelease lever 65 is effective for stopping drive of the roll shaft II,when the shoe is moved away from the roll, if the control cam 36 is setfor either "fast or slow drive of shaft II. Upon turning of cam element24 through 180, with corresponding movement of the shoe to the roll, therelease lever 65 becomes ineffective and the roll shaft TI is driven ateither high or low speed, or is not driven, according to the position ofthe cam member 95.

A shaft I03 is rotatably mounted through a bushing I04 suitably securedthrough web element 68. A bevel pinion I05 is secured upon the upper endof shaft I03 and meshes with bevel gear I6 for driving the latter. Thelower portion of shaft I03 is squared at I04a and fits into acorresponding bore l05a extending from the upper end of a couplingmember I06. Bore I06a opens, at its lower end, into an enlarged squarebore I01, extending from the lower end of coupling member I06 and snuglyreceiving the squared upper end portion I6a of shaft I6. Preferably,coupling member I06 is secured upon portion I 6a of shaft I6 by a setscrew I08. A spacing member I09 is disposed between the lower end ofcoupling member I06 and the upper face of ratchet wheel 40. The shaftsI6 and I03 are disposed coaxially with their adjacent ends spaced apartas shown. By moving the roll shaft II a short distance toward the right,as viewed in Figure 2, as indicated by the arrow a, so as to move bevelgear 16 and ring member 19 outward into the positions indicated by dotand dash lines, pinion I05 may be raised into the dot and dash positionindicated with corresponding upward movement of shaft I03, as indicatedby the arrow b. When shaft I03 is thus raised the distance between thelower end of this shaft and the upper end of shaft I6 is slightlygreater than the length of the coupling member I06 so that, by looseningset screw I00, this coupling member may be slid upward off of portionI6a of shaft I6 and removed therefrom. After this has been done, withshaft I03 remaining in its raised position, spacing member I03 may beremoved from squared portion I6a of shaft I6, and the clutch assembly,including the member 22, the yoke member 29, and, if desired, theratchet wheel 40, may be slid upward along squared portion I6a of shaftI6 and removed therefrom as a unit, it being noted that the height ofthis assembly is somewhat less than the length of the coupling memberI06. Obviously, if desired, the ratchet wheel 40 may be first removedand the remainder of the clutch assembly then removed as a unit, ifdesired. Prior to removal of the clutch assembly the trip finger isremoved. This may be readily accomplished by screwing the stud 42 out ofboss 41 and then raising the trip finger and associated parts, by meansof the rod 43, into such position as not to interfere with removal orreplacement of the clutch assembly. Also, if desired, the bracket 61 andthe parts carried thereby may be removed as a unit, so as to giveunobstructed access to the lower portion of housing I0 for removal orreplacement of the clutch assembly, though this is not necessary.

I claim:

1. In ironing machine clutch means of the character described, an innerclutch member, an outer clutch member, a pawl pivoted on said outermember, for movement into and out of engagement with said inner member,a yoke member on said outer member, a tension spring connecting saidyoke member to said outer member for turning therewith, said yoke memberbeing otherwise free from said outer member and provided with two tabsspaced approximately 180 apart, and a trip finger normally disposed tocontact said tabs in the rotation of said yoke member *with said outerclutch member and movable into inoperative position to release said yokemember, the latter being further provided with pawl operating meansdisposed to move said pawl into and out of engagement with said innerclutch member in accordance with the turning of said yoke memberrelative to said outer clutch member by the tension of said spring andthe turning of said outer clutch member relative to said yoke member.

2. In ironing machine clutch means of the character described, an innerclutch member, an outer clutch member, a pawl pivoted on and spacedabove the upper face of said outer member for movement into and out ofengagement with said inner member, said pawl comprising a hook elementand a tail element projecting oppositely from its pivot, a yoke membermounted on the upper face of said outer member and turnable about theaxis of said inner member, said yoke member being provided with twoupwardly projecting tabs, one disposed to contact the hook element ofsaid pawl and move the latter into engagement with said inner clutchmember upon turning of said yoke member in one direction relative tosaid outer clutch member and the other disposed to contact the tail ofsaid pawl and move the latter into disengaged position upon turning ofsaid outer member relative to said yoke member, the latter being furtherprovided with two stop tabs disposed approximately 180 apart, areleasable trip finger normally disposed for contact with said stoptabs, and a tension spring connecting said yoke member to said outerclutch member for rotation therewith, said spring being disposed to betensioned by the turning of said outer clutch member relative to saidyoke member.

3. In ironing machine clutch means of the character described, acontinuously rotating drive shaft, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaftfor rotation therewith, an outer clutch member turnable about the axisof said shaft normally free therefrom and releasably held inpredetermined angular relation thereto, a pawl pivoted on said outermember for movement into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel,a yoke member, yielding means connecting said yoke member to said outerclutch member for turning therewith and relative thereto, and means forreleasably holding said yoke member against turning with said outerclutch member and in predetermined angular position thereto inopposition to said yielding means, for moving said pawl into and out ofengagement with said ratchet wheel in accordance witth the turning ofsaid yoke member relative to said outer clutch member and the turning ofthe latter relative to said yoke member.

4. In ironing machine clutch means of the character described, acontinuously rotating drive shaft, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaftfor rotation therewith, an outer clutch member turnable about the axisof said shaft normally free therefrom and releasably held inpredetermined angular relation thereto, a pawl pivoted on said outermember for movement into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel,a yoke tumable about the axis of said shaft, yielding means connectingsaid yoke member to said outer clutch member for turning therewith andrelative thereto, and means for releasably holding said yoke memberagainst turning with said outer clutch member and in predeterminedangular position thereto in opposition to said yielding means, formoving said pawl into and out of engagement with said ratchet wheel inaccordance with the turning of said yoke member relative to said outerclutch member and the turning of the latter relative to said yokemember.

5. In ironing machine clutch means of the character described, a driveshaft, a ratchet wheel mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, anouter clutch member tumable about the axis of said shaft and normallyfree therefrom, a pawl pivoted on said outer member for movement intoand out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, a yoke tumable about theaxis of said shaft, yielding means connecting said yoke member to saidouter clutch member for turning therewith and relative thereto, meansfor releasably holding said yoke member against turning with said outerclutch member and in predetermined angular position thereto inopposition to said yielding means, for moving said pawl into and out ofengagement with said ratchet wheel in accordance with the turning ofsaid yoke member relative to said outer clutch member and the turning ofthe latter relative to said yoke member, and means normally holding saidouter clutch member against turning and in predetermined angularrelation to said yoke member.

EDWARD B. CARSON.

